Tuesday after Hurricane Sandy, the residents of Sheepshead Bay creep out of their houses and approach the inlet. Rain sporadically falls on the crowd as they survey the damage, scarves tight over their noses.

A tree uprooted, displacing the sidewalk

The bridge twisted like DNA.

Pungent rainbows rippling in the water.

Cars line the street waiting for a tow truck or a miracle. People sit in their drowned vehicles. Some stare straight ahead at cracked window shields. Others cry, forehead on the steering wheel. But either way, the cars stay silent.

Residents exclaim in various languages—Russian, Georgian, Turkish, Korean— but their native language is peppered with the American classic: “Oh my God.”

Everything to do and nothing to do. They stare at the destruction and light a cigarette.

An abandoned car sits in a flooded Brooklyn street hours after Hurricane Sandy hit New York. Photo by Kamilla

The contents of a store on Emmons Avenue were overturned when the water hit the building. photo by Kamilla

The popular walking bridge over the inlet is currently impassable. photo by Kamilla.

Residents gawk at the large sycamore outside of an apartment building. photo by Kamilla

A man begins to clean the sludge from the apartment building window in Brighton Beach. According to residents, the water surged through the streets, leaving behind a goopy trail that reached the third story windows. photo by Kamilla